Mohammad Sharif forced his way into the national side in 2001 as a 17-year-old on the back of impressive performances in the National League. He was one of the rare bowlers in Bangladesh who could do the reverse-swing. Side by side, Sharif is a handy right-hand lower-order batsman, having made a name for himself in his hometown Narayanganj as a big-hitting taped-tennis batsman who had 16 centuries before making his Test debut.

After a reasonable start to his international career, he lost his place in 2002 and then broke down with a niggling groin injury shortly after the 2003 World Cup which required a series of operations in India and Australia. His comeback, which only started after a nine-month lay-off, was slow. He finally returned to the national side when picked for the tour of Zimbabwe, almost four years after his last appearance.

He risked his future with Bangladesh when he joined the exodus to the rebel ICL in 2008. He was subsequently handed a 10-year ban by the BCB but he quit the league the following year and is plying his trade in the NCL for Dhaka.
Martin Williamson and ESPNcricinfo staff